L.Tortet, F.Guinneton, O.Monnereau, D.Stanoi, G.Socol, I.N.Mihailescu, T.Zhang, C.Grigorescu, Optimization of Cr8O21 targets for pulsed laser deposition, Crystal Research and Technology, 40/12 (2005) 1124-1127
Title: Optimization of Cr8O21 targets for pulsed laser deposition
Abstract: This work describes the preparation of Cr8O21 Pellets with optimised mass density to be used as targets for Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) of chromium dioxide thin films. Cr8O21 is synthesised by thermal decomposition of CrO3, at 270 degrees C. An attempt to reduce the grain size of the Cr8O21 powder to the nanometer scale has been made in order to increase the density of the pressed and sintered pellets serving as targets. The morphology of those starting fine powders as well as of targets (before and after laser ablation) and the corresponding thin films were characterized and studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The composition of the films is a mixture of crystallised Cr2O3 and amorphous CrO2. (c) 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Key words: crystal morphology; x-ray diffraction; chromium oxides; nanomaterials